Fire chief defends auxiliary brigades

"AUXILIARY firefighters are dedicated, well trained and completely capable of handling emergency situations."

These were the emphatic words of Queensland Fire and Rescue Area 1 director Bruce Smith as he rushed to defend the reputation of auxiliary firefighters at the weekend.

Mr Smith's comments followed those made by United Firefighters Union president Henry Lawrence last week describing auxiliaries as "trained to a certain level...not trained to the same level as fulltimers".

Mr Smith said the services provided by auxiliaries across the region were of an "A1 standard".

"Auxiliaries are often first on the scene, and have training in house fires, chemical spills, major fires and grassfires," he said.

"The level of service they provide is of an A1 standard and I have no hesitation sending out these crews. "I have complete confidence in them."

The region has 487 firefighters, of which 413 are auxiliary. Auxiliary firefighters work on a casual basis and are paid for training and any work undertaken for the QFRS.

"They don't get remunerated for the work they do; they do it to serve their community," Mr Smith said.